The impact of Covid-19 on Cuba in 2020

Despite the Cuban government’s measures to ban tourist arrivals and impose a nationwide quarantine, the country has failed to avert the pandemic and has reported 11,205 coronavirus cases and 142 deaths as of December 28th. The only statistics available on coronavirus cases on the island originate from the government, and official data on acute respiratory diseases in March and April suggest that the outbreak in Cuba was likely more widespread than reported by health authorities. Hospital managers suppress the spread of information concerning the pandemic by threatening workers with consequences for publishing photos or information documenting Cuban hospital conditions. Moreover, the Cuban government has exhibited a repressive pattern that endeavors to illegally place human rights activists, journalists, and independent artists under house arrest during the pandemic.